I kind of missed the boat in posting this Grilled Cajun Steak in time for Labor Day so although you don’t have a dedicated holiday to grill up this juicy, Cajun rubbed hunk of deliciousness, I hope you still fire up the grill all the same and simply celebrate LIFE with this Cajun Steak!

In addition to this steak, I’m celebrating life this week by heading to Kauai with some blogging friends so if you aren’t following me on Instagram and want to join the fun, I’m going to be posting plenty of Instagram Stories so come say hi! and eat steak.

I had already taken my photos of this Cajun Steak and I was ready to pack up the no longer warm leftovers when two friends came over to help us move a few large pieces of furniture. They told me they were “full” and had already eaten dinner but in just a few minutes only a sliver of steak remained. Even one of our friend’s daughters had her fair share. I think they liked it.

And what is not to love about this restaurant quality Cajun steak?! Its seeping with flavor through and through thanks to both a Cajun Steak Marinade and Cajun Rub. The incredibly juicy steak is infused with a quick whisking of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, orange juice, brown sugar and some homemade Cajun Spices that you let envelop your steak for 8-24 hours, the longer the better in my opinion.

When you are ready to fire up the grill, you smother your steak in a custom delectable Cajun Spice Mix consisting of paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder, onion, powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme and of course cayenne pepper. I don’t find the mix too spicy but it does have a little kick to it – hopefully just the right amount for you and yours.

I used my favorite cut of steak – tri-tip roast that I first mentioned in my Asian Steak with Cilantro Basil Chimichurri. It’s a thick, incredibly juicy steak with rich flavor, relatively lean and inexpensive and soaks up marinades like a sponge. The term “tri-tip” is derived from the fact that the roast is triangular in shape (tri) and it is the tip of the sirloin (tip). This cut of steak can be harder to come by in supermarkets outside of California, although Costco nationwide always seems to carry it. If you can’t find tri-tip for whatever reason, feel free to use a thick sirloin or your favorite cut of steak and adjust grilling time accordingly.

Finally, the heat of the Cajun Steak is balanced and complimented by the sweet tang of Apricot Orange Glaze. Its a simple whisking and simmering of apricot preseres, orange juice, soy sauce, Dijon and brown sugar. Just listing those ingredients makes me drool a little. If only the mover friends hadn’t eaten all the steak…

Spice Rub/Marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk together the Cajun Spice Mix. Add 2 tablespoons to a freezer size plastic bag along with all of the Marinade ingredients. Whisk together. Pierce steak all over with a fork and add to marinade. Massage marinade into steak and seal bag. Marinate 8-24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Store remaining Reserved Cajun Spice Rub in a sealed container/bag.

When ready to grill, remove 1 teaspoon Reserved Cajun Spice Rub and add it to a small saucepan for your Apricot Orange Glaze. Whisk all remaining Cajun Spice Rub with 3 tablespoons olive oil and rub all over steak while it comes to room temperature - 30-60 minutes. (There will seem like a lot of rub which is a good thing)

Grill: Grease and preheat grill to 400 degrees F. Sear roast for 3-5 minutes per side, cover, and turn heat down to 350 degrees F. Grill for 15 minutes, flip, cover, and cook an additional 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of your steak cut and how well done you want your steak. Watch closely that your temperature stays around 350 degrees F.

Check for doneness with a meat thermometer inserted right in the middle of the steak. Thermometer should read: 135 degrees F for medium rare, 145 degrees F for medium. The outside of the roast will get quite dark with a charred crust which is exactly what you want with this cut of steak.

Apricot Orange Glaze: While the steak is grilling, whisk together all of the Apricot Orange Glaze ingredients in small sauce pan with reserved 1 teaspoon Cajun Spice Mix. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until reduced and thickened.

Comments

I am viewing this at breakfast and I am craving MEAT!! Your steak looks delicious and I have to confess we do love our meat. I’ve never tried using a glaze such as yours but we are always ready to try something new! Sounds great. Sending hugs!! Have a great day.

Thanks Marissa! Its always nice to have something to satisfy those meat cravings when they hit – even at breakfast 🙂 I think you will really like the glaze – the sweetness balances out the spiciness of the rub beautifully! Hugs to you and yours!

Hi Jen! What a juicy hunk of meat! I love Cajun/Creole flavors and can’t wait to try this! The sweet glaze would perfectly compliment the spices! And where is it written that you have to wait for a special occasion? I think every day is a special occasion we should celebrate!

Hi Jen, can you suggest another cut of meat? The grocers around here (NW Florida) have never heard of tri-tips or even flat irons or skirt steaks. We just moved here from Colorado. The best we could find was flank steaks. I think that might work with some time adjustments. What’s your thoughts?

Hi Jan! I would try a thick cut of sirloin. If that fails, then you could use flank steaks but just be aware that they are much thinner so I would use less rub and adjust cooking time accordingly. Hope that helps!

This recipe looks so delicious and I can’t wait to try it out. I love steak but never actually make it myself and I have the same problem as Brooke. I live in Japan and grilling isn’t much of a thing here so I have no grill. Would it be okay to cook this in a pan? Or would you recommend a different method? Thanks in advance

Made this the other night. Had the leftovers as a hot sandwich last night. DELICIOUS and perfect both nights. Thanks for a fabulous recipe for a favorite and affordable cut of meat. (And as a bonus I actually had ALL the ingredients on hand!)

Hi there! I’ve made this recipe twice now, and it’s amazing! With that said, I have a question about the spice mix. In the list of marinade ingredients, it says 2 tablespoons (in directions), and then in the directions it says to add 3 tablespoons along with the marinade ingredients. So does that mean 5 tablespoons TOTAL go in the marinade, or just 3 in the marinade and the other 2 are for the glaze and rub? Obviously I didn’t let my confusion stop me from making it (I’ve been doing the latter), but I just want to be sure. Thanks in advance!

Hi Penny, I’m so happy you love this recipe! I just checked my original word doc of the recipe and it looks like I originally had 3 tablespoons in the marinade and changed it to 2 but did not change the directions – sorry for the confusion. There should be 2 tablespoons in the marinade and the rest goes in the Glaze. I hope that helps!

We made this tonight and the flavors are outstanding! I couldn’t find tri-tip so we used super thick sirloin steaks. Maybe it was just our grill, but the cooking time was way too long, they were well-done in about half the suggested time. Still delicious though, we’ll definitely be making again and will try turning the heat down. Thanks for the recipe!

Californians love our BBQ’d tri-tip and Jen…. this was incredible. I’ve never really made cajun flavored food (even though I like it) but the layers of flavor, marinade, rub and the glaze you created….OMG. Heaven on a plate with no leftovers. We broke the “quarantine rules” and had a couple family members over and I gave all the credit to you over the dinner table! Shared how amazing your recipes are…every.single.time. P.s. haven’t got to the enchilada soup yet, it’s been too hot with the heat wave here in Cali, been bbq’ing every day. Hope you’re doing well 🙂

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